Kangna, Madhuri, Rani…who’s doing the ‘Ishqiya’ sequel?

The race to bag the two coveted female lead spots in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Dedh Ishqiya is on…who’ll win it?

In the course of the casting for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Dedh Ishqiya, several star names have come up. Vidya Balan’s role of the seductress in Ishqiya won her critical appreciation and several awards, and many actors wished they had done her role. So it isn’t surprising that many stars are now vying to work in the sequel. Initially, rumours were that Vidya would act in the second offering too, but as soon as Vishal announced that he won’t cast her, Rani Mukerji started sending feelers to the director about how she’s interested in working with him. She is very keen to bag work outside Yash Raj Films now, since the production house has shifted its focus to youth. According to sources close to Rani, she had made it clear that she would have loved to play Vidya’s Ishqiya character. But Vishal seems to have other ideas. He finds Kangna Ranaut a more interesting actor to work with at this point. Kangna is quite kicked about the role and, if the dates work out, she’d manage to steal a role from under Rani’s nose. For the second female lead, Madhuri Dixit is the strongest contender, though we hear that Tabu’s name was also brought up during initial discussions. Madhuri though is not jumping at the offer yet. She’s taking her time and also asking for a big remuneration. The negotiations are still on as the Dhak dhak girl is looking for a great comeback vehicle now, since her last outing didn’t quite work like the way she had expected. Arshad Warsi is most excited about Madhuri being in Dedh Ishqiya, as it has always been his dream to act with her. He’s really pushing for it. Now, let’s see who finally manages to bag the coveted spots!